Isabel dos Santos: Africa's richest woman loses 48-year-old husband

 

For the family of Isabel dos Santos, richest woman in Africa, this is a time for extreme grief. She has lost her 48-year-old husband, Sindika Dokolo, in a diving accident.

Dokolo, a popular businessman from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was, until his death in Dubai on Thursday, October 29, an art collector.

Our source understands that the incident was confirmed by different family members as reported by various news outlets including The African Report.

The report described Dakolo as:"A cultured dandy and shrewd businessman, Dokolo was also a keen observer of the regional political scene. He was 48 years old."

The late Dakolo got married to dos Santos, who is a daughter of Angola’s former president, José Eduardo dos Santos in 2002.

Who is Dakolo?

Sindika Dokolo was a very ambitious businessman Credit: Facebook

Dokolo, a very ambitious man, had a businessman father, Augustin Dokolo Sanu.

In fact, he was reported to have inherited a fortune following his father's death in 2001.

His father, it is recalled, built a business empire considered one of the largest in Zaire under the government of the late Mobutu Sese Seko.

One of his businesses was the Bank of Kinshasa.

Dakolo, as the son of a wealthy man, grew partly in Europe. As he grew, he became a businessman going into various sectors of the economy with de Santos.

Part of his business interests included oil, diamonds, retail, cement and telecommunications. He also went into collection of art and also played a role in the clamour for the repatriation of looted artworks to African museums.

There was  a  report that Isabel dos Santos once hinted at contesting for the Angolan presidency.Dakolo later went into politics and was said to have financed some of the opposition elements at the twilight of Joseph Kabila's era.

In speaking with the BBC, Isabel on four different occasions refused to rule out the possibility that she could be running for the nation’s highest political post.

It should be noted that her father, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, was the president of Angola for 38 years.

Also, prosecutors are trying to recover $1bn (N361,500,000,000) from Isabel and her associates are said to be owing the country.

Lekki shooting: Judicial panel visits toll gate, recovers bullet shells

 

The Lagos state judicial panel of inquiry on Friday, October 30, recovered six bullet shells from the Lekki toll gate where #EndSARS protesters were shot.

The official however confirmed that bullet shells were found during an inspection of the scene 10 days after the shooting incident.

The shells, found by the panel in the presence of journalists, would be expected to serve as evidence in order to establish the truth of what happened on Tuesday night, October 20.

The inspection, alongside representatives of the Lekki Concession Company, was led by Doris Okuwobi, the chairperson of the panel.

Lekki shooting: Judicial panel members recover bullet shells. Photo credit: Editi Effiong

Abayomi Omoruwa and Gbolahan Agboluaje, representatives of the LCC had on Friday appeared before the judicial panel to present the CCTV footage recovered after the shooting.

However, the panel noted that it did not receive the footage as the main assignment for the day was to visit the scene of the incident.

The Lagos state government inaugurated an eight-member judicial panel of inquiry to investigate complaints of police brutality and human rights violations committed by operatives of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure in a series of tweets on Monday, October 19, via his official Twitter account @jidesanwoolu.

The panel which is being headed by Okuwobi was joined by 2 youth representatives and a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Tyson, Jones contest slated for California in November

 

Mike Tyson is preparing for his comeback fight with Roy Jone Jr, as the heavyweight claims he has dropped weight to when he was 18-years-old.

The two American boxing legends will step into the ring for the first time since their respective retirements in an exhibition bout.

Iron Mike quit being a pugilist 15 years ago following three consecutive defeats at the tail end of his career.

Mike Tyson reveals he has dropped weight to when he was 18. Photo by Focus on Sport and Al Bello

However, the 54-year-old claimed that he has turned back the hands of time after making weight back to when he was a teenager.

“The last time I was this weight was 17 or 18 years oldThe former undisputed heavyweight champion said:

“I’m really happy with everything I’ve been doing, it’s down to confidence and self affirmation.

“It’s amazing, I’m just ready to do this. I can’t explain it in words.

“I’m going to go as long as this is working. My legend is going to be that I gave a lot more than I took.”

The Baddest man on the Planet has dramatically transformed his body after deciding to step into the squared-circle at age 54.

On the other hand, Tyson Challenger Jones was surprised by his opponent's speed and power in his recent video clips that trended on social media.

The 51-year-old former light heavyweight champion said:

“I think he looked awesome. He looked very good. I was really proud to see him bounce back the way he did.

"Most guys, at 54, they start counting themselves out. When I came in at 32 years old, you are considered an old guy.

"You couldn’t box anymore. Now to see Mike hit the body bag like that, the way he is doing it. It’s phenomenal. It’s crazy. We are f."

Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua's most awaited fight with Tyson Fury is drawing closer after Deontay's trilogy fight with the Gypsy King has reportedly been called off.

Fury and the Bronze Bomber agreed to a third fight but the current pandemic and an injury to the American's bicep have complicated matters.

Daily Mail claims Wilder will not be able to exercise his rematch clause to compete in the trilogy fight in the remaining weeks of 2020.

Kaduna-Abuja train killed 60 cows - Shehu Sani narrates

 

About 60 cows have been killed on Wednesday morning, October 28, by a train shuttling between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kaduna state.

A former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani recounted how the tragic incident occurred in a post on his verified Twitter handle.

Sani, who said he was a passenger on the train, narrated that the cows "strayed along the tracks" when the train was coming.

 60 cows killed by the train in Kaduna. Photo Credit: Nairaland

According to him, the herdsmen coordinating the cow ran into the bush upon seeing what has happened but not without "raining curses."

He called on the railway authorities to reach out to the chief of Rijana village where the incident happened and promptly address the issues before degenerating into anger and violence.The former lawmaker said the train, however, stopped in the bush before continuing its journey.

In his words:

"Today, the Kaduna-Abuja morning train of which I happened to be a passenger killed over 60 cows that strayed along the tracks, before the train finally stopped in the Bush and we later we moved on.

"The Herdsmen ran into the Bush raining curses. I call on the Railway Authorities to reach out to the Chief of Rijana Village and address the issues."

This is not the first time a train accident would occur. On Monday, September 14, a moving train collided with a Volkswagen bus at the Oshodi area of Lagos state.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) disclosed that the train rammed the bus at the Arena crossing, pushing it to Oshodi U-bridge.

Okonjo-Iweala appointed first female DG of WTO

 

Ngozi Okonjo-Iwaeala, former Nigerian finance minister, has reportedly been appointed the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), becoming the first woman and African to seal the top job, according to Reuters report.

Iweala, who is a development economist and former deputy managing director of World Bank, beat his close challenger, Yoo Myung-hee of South Korea.

Her victory was secured after polling 104 votes from 164 member countries to defeat South Korea’s trade minister at the final stage of the race.

Prior to the final phase, Iweala had asserted her confidence in taking the top seat while speaking on Friday, October 16, during a virtual press briefing after the 55-member African Union officially supported her.

Okonjo-Iweala becomes the first woman and African to head WTO. Credit: Twitter (Bashir Ahmad)

The 66-year-old former Nigerian minister received massive support from over 70 countries across the world in her quest to lead the crisis-wracked organisation, saying she could "feel the wind" in her back.

"I feel the wind behind my back. If that person is African and a woman, I think that is great. Because... neither an African nor a woman has led the organisation.

"The WTO at this time with the challenges it confronts needs a very competent Director General who is able to have the political reach and stature to be able to do reforms and deal at very high levels."

On Wednesday, Okonjo-Iweala edged ahead in the highly competitive race and became the first female DG of WTO over its two-decade of existence where her over 26-year-experience will be used to sail the crisis-wracked organisation.

In a related development, African Development Bank (AfDB) re-elected Dr Akinwunmi Adesina for a second 5-year term as the president of the bank.

The sole candidate for the multilateral lender was re-elected by the bank's board of governors at the AfDB virtual 55th annual meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday, August 27.

This was confirmed by Lauretta Onochie, the president's personal assistant on social media, via a tweet on her official Twitter page.

Support for SMEs: Buhari approves free registration for small businesses

 

As part of the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) of the federal government, President Muhammadu Buhari has given approval for the free registration of business names for 250,000 small and medium-sized enterprises.

The disclosure was made on Wednesday, October 28, by the federal government in a series of tweets.

This means the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has been given the nod to commence the registration of the MSMEs across the states marked as beneficiaries in the ongoing economic plan.

Meanwhile, 7,906 free registrations will be done in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 9,084 in Lagos and 8,406 in Kano state. 6,606 businesses will benefit from the free business names in each of the remaining 34 states.

Earlier, the federal government flagged off the economic plan with a statement from the office of the vice president, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, confirming the payment of N30,000 one-time grant to 330,000 artisans across the country.

About 250,000 MSMEs across the nation will benefit from the free registration. Credit: MBuhari (Twitter)

The statement signed by Laolu Akande, spokesman to the vice president, revealed that the payments are being made to sets of verified beneficiaries of the Artisan Support Scheme, a track under the MSMEs Survival Fund.

Akande further said the early beneficiaries are being drawn from the FCT, Lagos, Ondo, Kaduna, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, Anambra, Abia, Rivers, Plateau and Delta states.

In a related development, a foremost political scholar and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Dr Uche Igwe has described state governors who stored palliatives meant for distribution to hungry citizens as pretenders.

In a statement sent to journalists on Monday, October 26, Igwe described the act of the governors as sheer wickedness, adding that it is inexcusable
.

Wavel Ramkalawan: Anglican priest becomes president of Seychelles after contesting 6 times

 

After several attempts to pilot the affairs of Seychelles, an Anglican cleric, Wavel Ramkalawan, finally succeeded on his sixth try as he was on Sunday, October 25 declared winner of the presidential election.

Ramkalawan's emergence marked the first peaceful transfer of presidential power between different political parties since independence in 1976.

Wavel Ramkalawan president of Seychelles:Photo credit: Wikipedia

BBC reports that the 58-year-old cleric and politician was sworn in by the country's chief justice on Monday, October 26.

Our source gathers that president Ramkalawan has called on the people of Seychelles to embrace peace and tolerance.

He appealed to all Seychellois to ensure that everyone is united irrespective of their differences.

Ramkalawan, who first contested for president in 1998, said:

"Seychelles should be an example of tolerance for the whole world. We are 115 small islands in the Indian Ocean, but we are not insular.

"We will maintain friendly relations with all nations, and welcome help and assistance from our international allies whomsoever they may be."

Meanwhile. Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Citadel Global Community Church once has a vision to become the next president after Muhammadu Buhari.

The man of God maintained that he would be the 16th president. According to him, he has never had the ambition to become president, but a vision, which he says are two different things.

"A companion of ambition is anxiety, while a companion of vision is peace. If that is my destiny, you will see it happen."He explained:

FG may slams ASUU for using UTAS as condition for ending strike

 

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has come under attack as the federal government described the condition set by the body before it can end its strike as "unreasonable."

It would be recalled that ASUU said it would end the strike action after its home-grown University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) has passed the federal government's integrity test.

Speaking in an interview, the association's national leader and president, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, gave the assurance with questions popping up on when the lecturers will resume back to classrooms.

The federal government said the demand of ASUU is ridiculous. Credit: BBC Pidgin

ASUU was expected to call off its strike and mandate lecturers to resume back to lecture rooms on Wednesday, October 21, after striking a unilateral agreement with the representatives of the federal government.

But Ogunyemi said UTAS, which is a payment system developed by ASUU in place of the controversial Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), is still going through an integrity test handled by NITDA.

Reacting to the ASUU's stance, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Ben Goong, said ASUU's demand is ridiculous because varsity lecturers cannot determine how they should be paid by their employers which is the federal government.

"I don't know whether you know how many groups, organisations and associations receiving a salary from the federal account. So, if everybody is doing their own platform, imagine how many payment platforms government will have to deal with it."

Speaking during a meeting at the African Hall in the University of Ilorin, Kwara state, ASUU president Ogunyemi said the lecturers' body is being neglected by the federal government because "there were plans to make education inaccessible to the poor.

"Meanwhile, ASUU has raised an alarm over what the body termed as a deliberate attempt to strangulate public education in Nigeria.

Looting: 3 women stampeded to death as hoodlums loot Abuja COVID-19 warehouse

 

At least, three women have been reportedly trampled to death as looters massively invaded a COVID-19 warehouse in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) Abuja.

The hoodlums on Monday, October 26, invaded the warehouse in the FCT where COVID-19 palliatives were stored.

The storehouse, located in the Gwagwalada area council is said to be owned by the agricultural and rural development secretariat of the FCT administration.

Bags of rice and other grains were carted away by the thugs who climbed fences and broke the roofs of the warehouse in order to forcefully gain access.

According to an eyewitness, personnel of the Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps NCDSC), police and the brigade of guards of the Nigeria Army who arrived the venue were overpowered by the looters.

Three people have been trampled to death in Abuja. Credit: Premium Times.

Emerging reports have now confirmed that many people were stampeded with three people eventually giving up the ghost.

Those who suffocated were helped out of the building and revived with sachets of water.

Meanwhile, in a clear warning, President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a stern caution note to the parents and guardians of those who have been continually looting private businesses and government properties under the guise of protest.

The president, in a statement on Sunday, October 25, urged the parents to warn their wards against destruction and stealing of goods they cannot account for.

NBC sanctions AIT, Arise TV, Channels, over unverified videos

 For using unverifiable online video footages on from social media, regarded as a gross violation of broadcast code, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has sanctioned the African Independent Television (AIT), Arise TV and Channels TV.

The decision of the NBC was announced by its acting director-general, Armstrong Idachaba, on Monday, October 26.

Idachaba said that the above-named media houses will be fined about N2 million naira for violating the commission's code of conduct.

The acting boss of the NBC said that this is the first warning, adding that the second violation will be met with a heavier punishment.

He went on to say that DAAR Communications will be fined separately for using an unverifiable news item on the fire tragedy that occurred at the National Christian Centre.

Thugs loot COVID-19 palliatives at warehouse in Abuja

 

The miscreants in Abuja defied the warning of President Muhammadu Buhari against looting public and private properties.

This is as many hoodlums on Monday, October 26, invaded a warehouse in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where COVID-19 palliatives were stored.

The storehouse located in the Gwagwalada area council is known to be owned by the agricultural and rural development secretariat of the FCT's administration.

Bags of rice and other grains were carted away by the thugs who were also joined by passersby.

Jacob Olayiwola Adeleke: LG chairman kidnapped in Oyo

 

Amid looting and widespread violence across Nigeria following the nationwide EndSARS protests, criminals on Monday, October 26, struck terror in Oyo state.

A gang of armed men of the underworld on Monday abducted the chairman of Iganna local council development area, Jacob Olayiwola Adeleke, as well as his driver, along the Okeho-Ado Awaye Road in the state.

 Adeleke was on his way to Ibadan to attend a crucial meeting when he was attacked by the abductors.

Vigilance groups in the area are combing nearby forests in search Jacob Olayiwola Adeleke. (Photo credit: The Nation)

Unconfirmed reports claim that the kidnappers have contacted the family of Adeleke, requesting a ransom of N200 million.

However, vigilance groups in the area have started combing nearby forests in search of the kidnapped chairman in order to secure his release

EndSARS: Buhari dispatches cabinet members to home states over protests

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked his ministers to relocate to their home states following the violence and looting orchestrated by the EndSARS protests across Nigeria.

Our source stated that the president's action was to douse the tension caused by the demonstrations over the activities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The ministers according to our source were scheduled to meet with stakeholders to explain the federal government’s efforts to meet the demands of the youths.

President Muhammadu Buhari. Credit: Facebook/Femi Adesina.

Confirming the development during a courtesy call to Governor Muhammadu Badaru of Jigawa state in Dutse, the minister of water resources, Sulaiman Adamu, said the cabinet members were directed to seek the support of political, traditional, religious and community leaders against the protests.

He acknowledged that the #EndSARS protests started well and was in line with the Nigerian constitution only to be hijacked along the line by those who infringed on the rights of other citizens, killed innocent persons, looted and engaged in other criminal acts.Adamu said he was in the state to meet with leaders on “promoting tolerance, peace and stability in this critical moment and hear from them and report back to him (Buhari) immediately.”

He said:

“President Muhammad Buhari is soliciting the support of all other political leaders in the state to properly address the people of the state on the need to dispel any rumour that is tantamount to creating disunity among Nigerians and also throw the nation into crisis.”

Speaking in Akwa Ibom on a similar mission on Saturday, October 24, the minister of Niger Delta affairs, Godswill Akpabio, urged youths of the state to embrace peace, adding that President Buhari was committed to meeting their demands with regard to police reforms.

The minister said the EndSARS protest was capable of scaring away existing and expected investors with the negative economic effects on the state and the region.Akpabio said government was doing a lot in terms of job creation and development of key economic infrastructure in the state and the Niger Delta region.

He commended Governor Udom Emmanuel and other governors for setting up a judicial commission of enquiry to address the concerns of victims of SARS brutality, adding that the federal government was ready to work with governors to achieve justice for victims.

Thugs invade Dogara's house in search of COVID-19 palliatives

In total defiance of the curfew imposed by the Plateau state government, some hoodlums on Sunday, October 25, broke into the house of a former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in search of palliatives.

The miscreants, also invaded the warehouse of Plateau Agricultural Development Programme (PADP) where they stole fertilizer, pumping machines and other agriculture implements.

The  thugs attacked Dogara's house, attacked his brother before carting away valuables in the building and molested some other occupants.

In a similar development, some thugs smashed windows, cars and other properties in the building of Standard Newspapers located at the state capital.

Thugs invade Dogara's house in search of COVID-19 palliatives (Photo: Twitter/Yakubu Dogara)

However, a staff of the newspaper, Paul Jatau, told journalists that the swift intervention of security agents brought the situation under control.

EndSARS: 36 states sued over alleged hoarding of COVID-19 palliatives

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has accused all 36 Nigerian governors of hoarding COVID-19 palliatives while citizens in their states were crying of hunger during and after the lockdown.

Following this allegation, SERAP has sued the governors before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The human rights group called on the ICPC to carry out an investigation into the issue and publish its findings including the names of the states involved in the alleged act, PM News reports.

The petition, signed by SERAP's deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, was sent on Saturday, October 24, to the ICPC's chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye.

36 states sued over alleged hoarding of COVID-19 palliatives (Photo: Reuben Abati)

Part of the petition against the states read:

“It would seem that Nigerian authorities asked people to stay at home as a protective lockdown measure but then failed to discharge a legal responsibility to timely, effectively, and transparently distribute COVID-19 palliatives to ease the hardship faced by the poorest and most vulnerable people.”

“Unless promptly investigated, the allegations of hoarding and diversion would undermine public trust in any efforts to bring the spread of the pandemic under control, exacerbate the negative impact of the crisis, and deny those most in need access to basic necessities of life.

“Tracking, monitoring and ensuring COVID-19 palliatives are timely, effectively, and efficiently distributed to those most in need would improve transparency and accountability, respect for human rights, as well as remove the possibility of political considerations or bribery in the distribution of the palliatives.”